Reading With NSTA Kids: New Series of Children’s Picture Books

When my children were very young, we really enjoyed our weekly trek to the public library for story time and checking out books. We would stagger out balancing stacks of what we called “fact books”. You name the subject, we checked out trade books on it: electricity, dinosaurs, elevators, animals of the Amazon. I was fascinated by their innate curiosity of subjects they knew nothing about, simply because they were intrigued by the pictures they saw. These trade books taught them a great deal over the years.

NSTA has a long history of supporting the use of trade books to help teach important science concepts. From the Outstanding Science Trade Books list NSTA selects each year, along with the Children’s Book Council, to the long-running column, Teaching Science Through Trade Books, in the Science & Children journal to the popular Picture-Perfect Science Lessons series, NSTA understands the importance of lively, engaging children’s picture books that present sound and accurate science. NSTA Kids continues this long tradition in exciting new ways.

Two different series, I Wonder Why and Next Time You See, have the new NSTA Kids stamp. The I Wonder Why series includes titles written specifically to provide age-appropriate (K–6) resources about science and nature and to satisfy children’s questions about why things are the way they are. As I wrote this post, I enjoyed reading:

The Next Time You See series takes a slightly different approach, seeking to inspire a sense of wonder at everyday phenomena.

These books are written to encourage children to learn more about the world around them.

I admit reading these books made me wistful for the days when my kids were little. Now they satisfy their curiosity through the devices that are always in their hands. They can get their answers quickly now, but I think the fact that they are still asking questions can be traced back to their early years.

One Comment

Just read “Next Time You See a Seashell” with my 6-year-old, and he was very intrigued. He got up halfway through and got a toy that had a plastic shield and said the toy wanted to read it too, because it had a “shell.” It really prompted him to think about the support that a hard outer covering provides!